Enemy Mine
by FullstopBlaster
Summary: Ratchet and Megatron are trapped in an avalanche and the Doctor's will is tested. Rating to increase as time goes on. PRIME
1. Ratchet

Enemy Mine

Chapter One: Ratchet

By: Fullstopblaster

Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster.  
- Sun Tzu

* * *

In such a state as the battlefield is in; aggression, chaos, breathless strain. Those who are locked in insufferable combat do not feel the marginal shift like I do. They do not sense the earth beneath their pedes listing away from them. I'm more than concerned but my attention is splintered like shattered glass. There is activity in all directions.

Like sand, the snow's density faults; it is deep within the base of the snow, and as a medic, my sensors are highly prone, I feel the change in the topography right through my pedes.

Soundwave must feel it too; he calls back Laserbeak and moves to a higher vantage on this mountain. He has not engaged anyone, but he's watching everything. His head ticks back and forth as if he's sending output communications to all troops on the ground.

I can see Bumblebee is down he's clutching his knee joint; it's a deep wound and it's seeping. Megatron and Optimus stand in the way of me reaching him, and the stability of the mountain worries me even more so. I look down to ensure I'm still standing before gazing back up to meet the chaos before me.

The groups are so divided and the line of combat is sketchy at best. Arcee is entrenched in combat with two vehicons, Bumblebee is down, Bulkhead is trying to fend off Knockout and Dreadwing. Keeping them off the scout for the time being.

Turning my head I look for the most direct route to Bumblebee, though with the way the mountain is moving I'm not certain that should be my first priority.

My optic line is drawn to Optimus who pushes Megatron Back four master-meters behind. I have to duck down; he slides back almost to me, but his rage is solely focused on Optimus. He shifts, he knowing I'm behind him, but he ignores me.

The Grey mech attempts to force himself upward, but his motion and weight add to the already unstable ground. When he can find no balance he turns back on me, and the ground below us gives way.

I look back frantically at the chasm beneath and my optics pitch wide. Megatron's full weight hits me full force and I slide off the rock; as the avalanche begins it takes myself and the Decpticon warlord down; there's nothing but snow and gravity. My medical kit is knocked from my grasp as I fall; I remember nothing after the falling, nothing that is; until I woke up in the company of Megatron.

* * *

He leaned down over me looking into my Optics and my systems keened in fear. I shifted putting my palms under myself to scoot back away from him. "Awake." He mutters quietly and rolls back away from me.

As I sit up I can see the long string of damage along his ventral plating. He's got a seeping wound in his leg, and for a moment I forget this is Megatron. However, all I can do is analyze him like a patient. "I eh..." I am still trying to get my processor to function as I look up; we are buried.

"How far down?" I broach weakly.

Megatron eyes me for a long time and shakes his helm. "Impossible to get a good scan. The rocks beneath us are emitting a type of low level magnetic wave that is making my personal scanner inoperable. It is also making my communicator worthless."

I check my internal scanners and communication as I nod. "As are mine." These seem small conveniences; small allowances to the enemy to get some answers. The information of scanners being offline; will not a faction overthrow.

We sit apart in this small cavern in such uncomfortable silence. I shift again as I check my own systems. My medical scanner like his personal scanner appears to be down, so I simply assess what I can with my own two optics. I have dorsal damage along my left side shoulder assembly. Along with multiple mesh wounds on my face and hands. I can see a small tear in the paneling along my lower right arm, but it's hardly severe. Megatron has suffered far worse, and from what I can tell: he came down first and I landed atop him.

It would explain all the orange scratches on his frame; the ventral plate damage. Logically he must have landed face down; with me atop him, on my back. I look up at our surroundings once more; snow, ice, and rock. This is hardly an ideal scenario.

We have less than 7 meters to each side of us, and thirty meters across. I reach up and can touch the ceiling with my hand. While it's not too small for me; Megatron is cramped for space, it's obvious.

I could shift up on my knees and be comfortable, but the warlord is trapped down on the ground. I frown looking down at his leg again that is pooling energon below him.

Shifting I move to press up and his optics go wide. "Sit." He states as if he's uncomfortable to allow me to move freely in the space.

"You're bleeding out." I state softly. "Allow me to clamp the line." I reach out tentatively and he still looks as though he'll bite me. "Please."

"Why?" He growls low.

I roll my optics. "Do you want to die down here?" I ask incredulously. "Really without another chance at Prime?" A bit of truth for some good measure to see if he is truly listening. "I find that hard to believe." I scoot forward undeterred. Megatron flinches away from me but he's got no room to move as I grab his knee joint holding it.

"You're extremely brazen." Megatron says calmly as if the concept had never struck him before now. He should be in worlds of pain now that I can see the exposed strut. Frowning I prod the nerve line. "Does your Prime put up with your insubordinate attitude?" He's compensating attitude to make up for the pain; perfect.

"I've been called worse. As for insubordinate; I can trump his command for medical reasons." I respond quietly and then tip my helm. "Does this not hurt at all?" He says nothing in response. "Nerve sensors are damaged." I bite my lower lip as I reach down into the mess of wires and pull them back; while his nerve sensors are dead it's the best time to look at the strut. "These welds are horrible, barbaric."

"Excuse me?" Megatron snarled, and for a moment I feared he would reach out to me. "I have a full medical bay and staff."

"And your CMO…is a cosmetic surgeon Megatron." I roll my optics. "He's a bottom floor medic if you'd call it that. All Knockout can do is cover up the damage, not repair it. Where I was a top graduate of the guilds he was barely scraping by on the bottom."

"That explains all your failures doesn't it?" Megatron slurred I could see his smile in my peripheral vision. "You who have failed to save so many Autobots, and now reduced to healing a Decepticon."

It doesn't even hit me, even though I swell over the words. "I have the experience and the training that Knockout lacks, I may not have always had the 'tools' that I needed, but I never stop trying to save lives. I promise you…these will be better when I'm done with them than when he welded them." I reach into my forward compartment on my left arm and pulled out a few tools and rubber tiebacks.

Megatron didn't respond to what I said, he rumbled and looked away is if he was thinking about it. Point to me, for keeping the warlord in check.

Megatron's helm turns back to me. "How many?"

I turn to him only a moment before looking back to his battered leg. "How many what?" I'm trying to separate the thin nerve lines with my less than delicate fingers.

"How many died on your tables… because you didn't have the _tools_ to save them?" He glowers at me and I suddenly pause, it's only a micron, but a micron he registers. "Ah the number is that large than isn't it?" He seems pleased by the revelation.

I go back to clamping off the energon line on either side of the tear and then I use a small mesh wrap around it and heat it to shrink it over the tear sealing the line. Removing the clamps I move to the next piece of damaged wire.

He realizes he's not going to get me talking, and he shifts with a grunt. "Getting feeling back?" I ask, and he nods and grits his dentals, though he makes no sound. I nod to myself. "That's normal." I state and shift a few more wires around to cover the freshly molded line. "I'll stop prodding for a bit."

Leaning back I am sitting within arms length of the warlord and he turns his optics on me and once again we stare. I will give him an hour before I think to go back into his leg. "Two hundred and twenty four." I say quietly.

"Excuse me?" Megatron blinks.

"In the course of this conflict I have lost Two hundred and twenty four mechs." I sigh. "The first was named Breakback." I explain. "It was when the first explosions went off at Stanix." I shake my helm. "I did what I could and tried to get the civilians back."

"I did not order the first string of bombings that took place." He says quietly. He never had taken responsibility for them. He never would, and he seems, oddly sincere about it.

"You didn't deny that you were their orchestrator." I fold my arms over my torso plate. "Simultaneous explosions that rocked half the planet." He smirked and shook his helm.

"I may have influenced those who may have thought that it was the right course of action. I, however, did not condone the destruction of our home world. I want Cybertron restored."

"To rule it." I jab.

"No." He shakes his helm with a frown. "I want equality for every mech. The fact that over half the populace was locked below the surface as nothing more than slave labor." He frowns at me now. "How could you be so blind to that?"

"I was raised on the surface, I didn't ….I didn't see." I look down now trying to justify my existence.

"Ignorance is no excuse." He says darkly to me. I look down trying to understand what he's said and part of me knows he's right; Ignorance is no excuse. Looking up something strikes me; I don't know Megatron at all.

With a nod I scoot forward again. "This will hurt." I warn and my hand folds in upon itself revealing my welder. "Brace yourself."

* * *

Hours pass and we're still trapped. Megatron is leaned back in a reclined position his legs out before him and his back leaned against a large rock. He is remaining online. "You should recharge." He glares at me before rolling to the side. "I could give you something." I murmur. "For the pain."

"I don't trust you." Megatron said.

"Well at least we have that in common." I mutter and lean back on my side of the cavern. The temperature is dropping; the ice is starting to form on our armor. I bristle and it crackles and falls from me. The limited light we have is also dying around us. Our optics may be the only lights we'll have left soon.

Megatron rolls to look at me directly, considering his thoughts very carefully. I blink once challenging his stare. "How cold can it get before we start seeing internal damages?"

I look down and shrug with a sigh. "We're lucky there's no wind to add to the icing." I say and shift to my other side to face him. "Probably close to 10 or 20 degrees above freezing before we start to see internal icing." I shrug. "Anything below absolute zero and I make no promises on our bodies ability to function...it won't get that cold, but it will get cold enough." I say.

"Recommendations?" Megatron asks. I am certain he's still in pain but with him being stubborn about the painkillers he's just going to have to suffer.

"I don't know what you want me to say." I mutter. "We need to be rescued."

"I am most certain that is in the works by one of our respective groups." Megatron states matter-of-factly.

"You think Decepticon's respective?" I shake my helm.

"Medic." Megatron's voice is stern but calm. Turning to him I wait for him to continue. "Perhaps a temporary truce is in order." He looks me over and shifts himself over weakly he extends his hand to me. He's right, I hate to admit, it's going to get VERY cold.

"What do you want?" I broach in a whisper, but it's as loud as a scream in this small cavern.

"If your calculations are correct our bodies will freeze before we are rescued, our combined body heat will ensure that …is delayed." He states. "No tricks, just what we both need to survive." He states. "And you are much smaller than I am…your lines are likely to freeze long before mine."

I sit still and bristle again as I shake off the small crystals forming on my armor. "Doctor." He says again and I look up and sigh loosing the battle within myself.

I shift up to my knees and move to his side. "Where are you most comfortable?"

Megatron rolls to his side and opens his arms. "Just come." He says softly.

I nervously lower down before him our torso plates touching barely. I press into him and find a place between our bodies for my arms.

His arm lowers down over me and pulls me closer. "Recharge." He mutters and lowers his helm down and it brushes against mine. I shift marginally once more and close my optics. The rescue better be ongoing because I could never live this down for long, and even less so if anyone saw us like this.

* * *

My optics flutter online and I'm looking up into the warlord's purple optics. He's observing me. I'm frozen as my blue optics bore into him. "Doctor." He murmurs.

"Megatron." I state and there's a hesitation to my voice. He's very close to me, and silence is a knife between us. He is covered in ice, and my torso seems free of it, he's been keeping me warm.

Our sparks are within meters of each other. His spark resonance is thrumming against me and I'm almost paralyzed by it.

I don't know what's happening, but perhaps it's the amount of pain he's in. His field is fluttering, erratic; my own field is tight and irratic.

Megatron's hand find's my face and he runs his clawed digits over the soft pliable metal of my cheek. I swallow in my fear and try to remain still under his scrutiny. He leans down and his lips brush mine and I involuntarily tremble beneath him.

He smirks against my lips and kisses me fully. I want to fight him, but his field presses into mine and breaks the tight hold I have. I don't know if it's the cold, or the fear but I return the kiss, that is, in my opinion unusually soft.

The gentle kisses continue and hands begin to roam. He's so much larger than I, and it's hard to cover the territory he seems capable of in such short time. I finally come to some sense. I break the kiss. "You're hurt." I utter.

He nods. "Your temperature?"

I blink and check my gauge, my internal temperature has risen almost 10 degrees. "Is that what you were doing?" I ask.

He has a satisfied smirk on; it's not a smile. He leans down against me giving me another chaste kiss, before rolling away slightly.

Looking down at my chassis there is energon there. I turn to him and sit up slightly to look at his torso. "You've got another broken line." I murmur.

He nods and lays back his arm still around my back as I lean over him. "Can you see it?" He asks softly.

"Yes." I nod. "It's a main bypass line…" I gather a mesh out of my side compartment. "I'll have it sealed soon." I murmur. "Just hold still."

He nods his hand still grasping at my hip. "Will you accept help with the pain?" I ask. Megatron looks up at me and I put on a face that says I expect him to say yes. He nods, reluctantly, and I set to work on the leaky line and getting the small vile of numbing agent out of my compartment for his lines.

* * *

Hours pass as I sit beside him, he's in a state of euphoria. The pain killer that I've injected in his lines can do that. He's smiling as he tells me stories. "And I was able to fight them both off." He says proudly.

I nod and turn my helm slightly. "A gladiator." I state softly shaking my helm.

"Ah it was a good life." He says softly. "Fights every day, social events every night."

"I thought that's the exact life you wanted to do away with." I broach.

His smile fades only slightly as he nods and reaches up touching my face again. "It was, because no matter what I did I was still fighting because someone told me to, not because I chose to." He murmurs softly and changes the subject quickly. "You're cold." His hand falls to my shoulder and he pulls me down to him. I lay against him as I had the night before. My helm at his chest; I feel him chastely kiss my helm. "Rest." He states and he locks me in with his strong arms. I feel so guilty for this, but just lay in his embrace. I cannot recharge, but I am hoping for his sake he does.

* * *

To be continued…..


	2. Megatron

Enemy Mine

Chapter Two: Megatron

By: Fullstopblaster

_'Words cannot express to you why I love you. How with just one glance, your eyes melt my heart. How a simple smile from you, lifts my soul.' - Unknown_

* * *

My armor is numb, in some places more than others, and I'm still clutching him closer to me. It's keeping the ice out of the large open wound on my torso armor. He's still deep in recharge and I find myself taking him in. Recharge escaping me.

He's bulky, it's not an issue, but he is not one that looks easily broken or snapped in two. His callous sense of humor amuses me, and I have already gone over the realization we may very well offline in this cavern. Perhaps this is what draws me to him. He is unlike any other cybertronian I have ever met, and he challenges me not out of spite or fear, but out of determination. These are qualities I greatly admire.

He shifts over in my arms and I smile at him. I have little on my mind; the war is a distant thought and our faction separation more so. The first thing is we need to escape, but the cold, mixed with the dim is not conducive for us to do either.

I am not quite repaired enough to be of use, and he's got severe damage on his back. I am concerned about it, I need him to be at least be prepared to work. We have to start digging, we have to do something we cannot just sit here and wait for Unicron to claim us both. I won't die like this.

I shift slightly pulling him under me. I have to keep the ice off him, I am much larger, and he will succumb to the cold far faster than I. "Doctor." I murmur softly leaning down near his face to kiss at his cheek, along the thin line that runs down his face.

He groans and rolls into my warmth. "Ratchet." I smirk and touch his face lolling his head back a bit so he'll wake.

His blue optics open, and for the second time in my life I feel the need to look deeply into blue optics. His optics though blue, have an almost turquoise hue to them. "Hmm?" It's a groggy question.

"I need you to waken." I state and run my fingers over his face. "Come now …boot up." I coax.

He shakes his helm as his hand rises up to touch his fore-helm. "Ugh." He groans as he stretches. The ice on his back and legs begins to crackle as it falls from his armor. "Time?" He mutters.

I check my chronometer and shrug. "Almost midday …" I state.

He nods sagely and sits up breaking from me shooting a meter back. I lean back slowly and look him over more closely. "I think we should begin to try to tunnel out." I state. "We cannot continue to just sit here. I think it's time we make the effort." I try to sit up better but the ceiling just makes it hard on me. My size is against me in this small cavern.

"We can try…my welder is a heat source…" Ratchet admits. "Though I don't know how far it will get us."

I nod and think slowly. "I cannot risk my cannon, we could be buried further."

Ratchet shakes his head but points to me. "No you're right about that, but what about warming it up?" He states. "It's a plasma cannon is it not?"

I nod and raise my arm attempting to pull my cannon over my torso to look at it. He shifts up to me and comes to the opposite side and we fix upon each other over my weapon. He offers his hands. "May I?"

I nod and press it closer to him. His deft hands come over the weapon and he starts to look over the wiring. "This isn't too dissimilar to bulkhead's plasma cannon wiring." He states.

"Meaning?" I ask.

"I may be able to recycle the firing mechanism to allow you to use this as a sort of heat torch." He says. "We can melt the ice, and try to dig our way out, but we'll have to be careful when we do. I can make it so it will not discharge but will vent heat from the front, we can also use it to keep our armor from Icing over too badly."

I nod thinking slowly. "How long will it take to make the modifications?" I ask firmly.

He looks into my optics and sighs. "A few hours, without my scanner I'm doing this very blindly. It's not that I cannot but it will take time to ensure I don't damage anything." His honesty is refreshing.

"Do what you can." I insist, and think upon the weapon.

"Megatron?" He draws me out of my thoughts and I stare at him waiting for him to get on with it. I was never good at being patient.

He is simply staring at me. "Well?" I ask, and I find I'm just too eager to get out of this cavern.

"The other morning…were you simply affected by the pain?" He asks me.

I observe him and lower my arm out from between us. "Medic." I state calmly as I put a hand on his shoulder and draw him to just before my face. "I do not do things of that nature lightly. I tend to take what I want."

He seems to laugh. "And you are saying you want me?" He sounds like he can't believe that statement. "Or that I am some prize to be captured?"

I think a moment and look upon his marbled optics and smirk. "Well…" I begin quietly. "This is a truce after all…" It's an excuse perhaps he can swallow. "You are not a prize." I sigh and shake my helm. "You are worthy of my attention."

He sighs and is looking away as if thinking on what I've said.

I pull him forward and kiss him; his hands find the large plates of my torso just below my shoulders and he groans. "Is there question now to my desire?" I ask breaking my hold.

His hands are still on my torso as he thinks a moment and nods. "Why?" I ask. "Why me?"

"Why not you Doctor?" I have no answers really. "It is something I have not indulged in since before the start of the war, and it helps to raise our internal temperatures." Perhaps logic will break through him.

He looks down and nods. "Agreed." He couldn't deny what it did to jumpstart our systems. I smile at him and touch his face. He looks up at me again.

"You are pleasing to look at." I state. "I never noticed you before now, your lines are almost flawless." My fingers trail down from above his optic down the line on his face with utmost care.

"Well I am a medic. I take good care of myself" He states as if trying not to admit to the obvious vanity. The orange of his armor makes me hungry, and it's a hard admission to swallow. I want to conquer him, and that is a lusty feeling and it's racking through me.

"Indeed you do. Let's get started." I state pulling my weapon back between us. "We need to get out of here." I need to get him off my mind; I need to get the lust from the fore of my processor. I am not thinking clearly at all.

He nods and pulls my arm to his torso and begins to work, and we fall into silence. I ping him with my private frequency and he pauses shocked, but as he starts to focus again on the cannon on my arm I receive a ping back. Trust, though it is very delicate, very fragile.

I close my optics and allow him to work in relative silence to allow his concentration to be at his fore. Time passes as I try to run internal diagnostics but some will not run without my scanner. I shake my helm and move to the next diagnostic for my internal chronometer and shake my head when it doesn't complete. The cold is freezing my chip sets solid but it's keeping my wandering processor at bay.

"Megatron." Ratchet's voice is chattering.

I open my optics and note at least two earth hours have passed. He's icing again it's over his shoulder plating and his barely orange. I pull my arm free from between us and pull him closer to me rolling him to the earth below us and I roll over him.

He is keeping himself all closed up tightly due to the cold and I press down against him and kiss him softly. "Easy." I state against his lips. "You'll go into shock." I rumble and try to adjust myself and focus my vents to vent down against his body.

"I know that." He snaps at me with venom, but his body molds to mine and he kisses me harder desperate for warmth, and his hands dive between plates.

I shudder involuntarily due to the cold fingers on iced nerve lines. I arch slightly giving his arms more room and he takes full advantage and teases a line under my chassis main armor plate. I groan and he smirks below me, it's a self-satisfied smirk if ever I saw one. "Proud of yourself?" I ask with a low growl.

"Very…" he states as he arches below me and our torso plates touch sparks thrumming. "Very proud." He murmurs.

There are wet lines against his torso; where his body is heating up and the ice is melting. His fingers are deft as he pulls a firm line from my torso and jacks into it with his own line. "What is this?" I ask.

"You don't know all the tricks of a good heat up." He says softly and presses a data packet at me. He touches my face pulling my focus. "Press it back to me and add a line of redundant code." He instructs.

I nod and do as he asks and he passes the adjusted packet back, and the bloated packet builds up in the circuit we've created between our bodies. I groan as it's given back to me filled with code, and press another line to it passing it back.

I can feel heat in my pedes and my armor is steaming. This is building up of more circuit heat than I was prepared for. I have never experienced anything like this, it's not invasive but I can feel my systems coming to climax. This is unusual, not like a spark-merge or direct interface, this is something ….different.

Ratchet smirks below me and passes a bursting packet back at me and before I can add to it I feel the overload cascade over me. I shake over the top of him and he's laughing but I'm not out of my senses as I press two data lines into the packet and force it down to him. His optics flicker as he shudders below me and I smirk.

I gasp a bit and open my ventral vents on the one side to allow more cold air to enter in. I blink and look down at him as he disconnects us. "How was that?"

My attention to him is focused. "Unusual." I answer honestly. "Though not unwelcomed." I murmur.

He smirks. "Trick I learned back in the academy." His hand is pressed just above the gashes in my torso armor.

"It is quite a trick." I admit and gasp slightly my body shifting. "Are we ready to start melting our way out?" I ask glancing down at my cannon arm that's supporting me over him.

He thinks it over slowly and pulls me down to him our lips meeting. "I have been working on your arm for hours, and that overload was …welcome." He presses his helm to mine. "Lets take a quick recharge so I won't feel so drained."

I nod. "As you desire." I state and roll to the side opening my arms to him in invitation. The medic looks me up and down and slides in against me. I wrap my arm around him, my cannon over his back and I activate the cannon on its lowest setting. Ratchet was right, I can keep it low and it resonates heat over him and part of me, and it's enough to keep us warm for now.

I close my optics and lower my helm to his. "Rest." I coaxed and kept my optics open, keeping watch for anything that might happen.

* * *

Within twelve hours we were up and turned to a wall of what appeared to be solid ice and snow. My cannon was working wonders, and his torch was using more focused heat on sections were the ice was refusing to melt. Between the two of us we were able to tunnel out about 15 meters, it doesn't seem far, but we had to make the tunnel big enough for my bulk to fit through.

Ratchet lowered his arm and sat back against the tunnel wall. "It's working."

"Indeed." I said reaching up to touch the ceiling of the tunnel. "We aren't getting very far." I state and reach up to brush snow off Ratchet's armor.

"It will get easier as we go on." I insist. "This is definitely a start."

Ratchet looked away. "My communicator is still non-functional."

I nod. "Lets keep going, a few more meters at least for this day, then we will rest." I state as I touch his arm. "Are you alright?"

"I'm low on energon, my tanks are churning." He frowns softly.

I smirk. "Mine too." I shrug. "Come lets keep at this, the sooner we get through, the sooner we can get some energon." I encourage and shift forward a bit and activate my cannon.

"What happens then?" Ratchet asks raising his voice above the sound of my side arm.

I lower my cannon and look back at him as I deactivate it. I know what he's asking. "We will have to cross that space-bridge when we get there." I state. The human vernacular is strange on my glossa but he understands.

"Would you release me?" He asks.

I pause at this and turn to face him putting my back plate against the wall I'm working on. "If we get out of here alive I will allow you to walk away." I state, and want to ask him why he would want to. "To go back to your Autobots." I snear the word and start to turn away.

"Thank you." His voice is soft and he comes up to my side. "Five more meters and then we'll stop to get the ice off of one another." He smiles at me, and it defuses me.

I lean to him and he kisses me and I smile touching his face. "Five more meters." I agree and for once in my life wonder if I should even want to be rescued.

He activates his small torch and starts to burn at the top around a rock that's protruding out of the ice, and I activate my cannon and start to force the heat against the ice wall.

We work in mostly in silence but I note he turns his helm to look at me from time to time, and this action is endearing to me. I will miss this once we escape, this easy cooperation that I don't have to force. I pause only a moment and turn to him. "Stay with me."

"What?" He turns his torch off and looks deeply at me confused.

I turn off my cannon and look at him scooting up to him. "Stay with me." I put my arms around his hips and pull him to me.

"Megatron I cannot I have to go back, the autobots-"

"Don't appreciate you or your talents." I finish for him and kiss the exposed wiring on his neck. "Don't need you…"

Pushing on my torso breaking back a bit. "and you appreciate me and need me?"

I look at him with confusion. "Please." I forego answering him for a more desperate plea. One that is so out of character I scarcely believe I'm making it. "Stay with me."

His hands rest on my shoulders. "We have the cavern, once we are free we go our separate ways." He says sliding into my lap. "I cannot in good conscience give up everything I have ever believed in …for you."

That breaks my spark slightly. "What can I do to convince you other wise?" I ask.

"I don't believe you can." Ratchet says and affectionately runs his digits over my helm. "It's not impossible, but highly improbable." He smirks at me.

"We have four point six meters to go." I remind him and smirk. "Once that is completed I will do all in my favor to convince you."

In a turn I didn't think he was capable of Ratchet leans into my helm near my audio. "You're welcome to try." He taunts and I take a breath to steady myself as he backs out of my lap and activates his torch to pick up seamlessly from where he left off.

I shift my shoulders and roll back up onto my knees and activate my cannon and start to plot my revenge; with a satisfied smile across my lips.

* * *

To be continued


	3. Divisions

Enemy Mine

Chapter 3: Divisions

"There is more power in unity than division." - Emanuel Cleaver

_This could have gone so many different ways, but it went THIS way. :D Lots of different POV here and I HOPEFULLY labeled them all correctly. _

* * *

Ratchet

* * *

Rescue had come we'd gone our separate ways. I dared, in those moments of rejoicing of my rescue look back at him and his people.

Optimus was too busy trying to get information out of me I scarcely cast Megatron any glances. "Ratchet?" Arcee's voice broke through my fog.

"W-What was it you said I'm sorry I am…. overwhelmed." I stated at a loss for anything else to say.

"Enough questions." Optimus said optics locked on the Decepticons as Knockout looked over Megatron. "We'll have plenty when we return to base."

Megatron turned his head in our direction, but he didn't cast Optimus the slightest glance it was a look only to me, and it bored into me.

I turned and nodded allowing Smokescreen and Bumblebee to assist me along. "Come lets go home." I stated in exhaustion.

The return to base was welcome, but it was still as empty and sterile a place as it had ever been for me. I had stated I would commence with my repairs in the morning and found my way back to the small hollowed out corner of the hanger that was my own. I slid into the room and pulled the door closed behind me.

Thankful to be warm, that my core temperatures were nominal; I collapsed on my berth and don't even remember falling into recharge.

When I awoke I was feeling more like myself. Though I was stiff and suffering from slight processor lag. Shifting up I stood out of the berth, I hadn't even bothered to get under the thermal blankets. I blinked and shook my helm. I had been recharging for fourteen hours. My internal chronometer relayed fairly accurate information and I groaned before looking at the door.

I was unsure if I could go out that door, to face them. None of them would know what happened between the warlord and myself would they? No, not unless I would tell them. Did I dare tell them? They would think me a traitor and while Optimus would know that would be the case; I could not fathom to face his disappointment.

Deciding at last I needed to get out of this room, I move to exit the door. The base is empty save for Smokescreen who stands at the Ground Bridge control.

"Hey Doc." He smiles at me. "How ya feeling?"

"Laggy." I answered honestly. "I'll be fine…where is everyone?"

"Oh well Bumblebee discovered an energon mine, and it wasn't being guarded too closely by the cons so they went to see what they could salvage, just you and me right now." He smiled, so innocent.

I nod in understanding. "Very well, it sounds very… routine." I shift in the direction of my lab. "I'm going to start some repairs please…give me the time alone."

"Of course, if there is an emergency though I'll come get you."

I wave a careless hand. "By all means." I insist and turn away from him. As I enter the lab I frown, closing the doors I press my back against them and shake my helm. For a moment I glance at the ceiling but close my optics, but in that darkness of the closed optics my mind sees his silvery frame. His body. _Ratchet _I gasp opening my optics, it was like a brush of a voice against my spark and it pulls tightly.

I shake my helm. "Simply post traumatic stress." I tell myself. "That's all that is." I insist to myself it's nothing more.

Turning to my medical console I grab a few cables and begin to jack myself into the diagnostic programs, and begin to run their subroutines. As I surmised in the caverns I have terrible damage to my upper left armor on my back. A cracked sub strut in my torso doesn't surprise me either.

I frown at the read out and then begin to make repair plans based on current holdings in our possession. Things that I may be able to make suitable repairs with, some of the damage will have to be put on hold, the energon needed for the tools to make some of the minor repairs is just something our team cannot afford to waste.

My days linger on, my debriefing with Optimus is short and he accepts my account of things, though I admit I have kept much from him. Turning into my room I sigh and rub the heels of my servos over my optics and yawn. My systems drawing in cool air as I move to my berth and pull back the thin metal thermal blanket and crawl down onto the metal berth.

I think about him, where he is. Knowing he's on the Nemesis, knowing; he's laying in a real berth, wondering if he's thinking of me.

* * *

Megatron

* * *

_Megatron _I sit up in shock and blink looking around my darkened quarters. Pressing my clawed hand to my helm I shake my head and try to break that ominous feeling that I'm being watched. It's not like me to suffer paranoia, but for once I feel unease.

I have been back on the Nemesis for four days, and after a complete refit and repair I am mostly back to myself. Though in the great company of my army I do admit that I feel a hallow space in my being where something should reside. I look down at my berth and note I have been sleeping on the far left side, not the middle as I am usually accustomed to. I have to get over this, he will not be joining me, he will not come to the Decepticons. This is childish, I kick my legs over the edge and stand moving to my wash racks. _Megatron_ I freeze, knowing now that I am not creating falsities in my mind.

I focus _Ratchet _and wait, there's no response to this except a feeling of longing. Something has happened between us, and that final interface, before we were rescued, along with a spark merge may have something to do with it. I will need to find the answers in the Nemesis computers. The Iocon database must have something.

The bridge is more than quiet, Starscream, we are relatively free of his presence today, and it's a balm. Soundwave's quiet company is all I need this day. I sit in my throne holding the datapad in my hands going over ancient lore. I took the whole database, I didn't want to arouse suspicion about my research so I simply read everything.

I hear my name now and then throughout the day in my mind. It is quiet and it's distant, but it's there, lingering. Reading on many scenarios I come across a story of two cybertronians who were battle bonded. They were able to see into the other's mind and spark. Making the duo unstoppable and able to work in tandem on the battlefield. I press on into the tale, and it speaks of Sparks being joined but it doesn't say what parameters allowed the battle bonding.

I look up at Soundwave who seems indisposed. Then back to the book and continue to scroll through. It stated that these two mechs miraculously produced offspring that were not created of the core of Cybertron. Now that stops me in my tracks. Offspring created without the core….without the planet.

The whole entire reason to have the planet back was so that our people would not become extinct. I lower the datapad and look blankly at the floor as I sit back in my seat. I think over this. _Megatron _This time my name is accompanied with loss.

I focus my mind and press his name and a longing feeling back, it is very unlike me but I do wish for his presence, I want to hear his voice._Ratchet_ I respond quietly. Then wonder if I could convey a more complete message. Closing my optics I focus on him, center my thoughts on him, and press images from my mind, a map, a location, a day, a timestamp, and for some reason a feeling of need; desire.

I feel a response, an image in my mind of an alternative time stamp and I respond with: _Agreed. _

I rise and confidently move forward. "I am going on a flight." It is not uncommon. Flight models like myself and Soundwave like to fly regularly, I have done so more since my return.

Soundwave gives a nod. "Keep things in order until I return." I respond and move to the rear of the bridge to exit to the flight deck.

* * *

Ratchet

* * *

Optimus was leary of me leaving base, and I understand. I told him I needed to roll my wheels, being trapped in that damned cavern was enough to drive me mad. I don't even want to know how Megatron felt, being a flyer stuck in such a small place.

I have a misplaced feeling of dread; I cannot believe I am entertaining this. I hit a pothole and sigh as I straighten up again and watch the road. My focus is so disjointed he's all that's been on my processor and I know what I have to do. I will meet him, and I will explain how this has to stop; we have to shut one another out of our lives.

Pulling to a stop along the side of the road I transform in the darkness and look up at the moon before looking down into the chasm. He waits for me below. His bulk turns and his purple orbs look up at me and I gather my composure and move down to the bottom of the chasm, he won't harm me. I know this.

Making my way to him I pause meters away from him. He looks me over quietly. "You still have damage." He states.

"Of course…we don't have the energon reserves you do, but you know that." I respond. "You've been in my helm."

"As you've been in mine." He responds and extends a datapad. "I believe this may hold some answers." He says calmly though his optics pitch up nervously.

"I wasn't followed." I say as I take the pad from him and scroll through highlighted parts of text. "This is what you think is happening to us?" I blink looking up at him.

"It's the only reasonable explination I can find." Megatron stated.

"Does anyone else know?" I ask handing the pad back.

"Knockout said my spark frequency was off but said it was not detrimental to my health." He states and I nod, mine is the same. He pings me via wireless and downloads the read out of his frequency. I compare it against mine. There is an underlying similarity.

"We're resonating on the same frequency…on some sort of sub molecular level." I respond. "Facinating."

"I assume it has to do with our merge." Megatron offers looking up again at the sky and the surrounding area.

"I agree." I nod and look up to where he's looking. "You know someone is there."

Megatron nodded. "As a …flight model…" I note he refuses to call himself a seeker. "I have better long range sensors than you do." It's not an insult and merely stated as fact.

I press a hand up against his arm and wait. "Who?"

He Shakes his head as we look out and motions me forward. "Come let's get out of the open." He suggests and we move to the inner wall of the chasm and press into the darkness of the wall. "Prime." He whispers and looks at me with disappointed optics.

"I didn't think he'd follow." I state.

Megatron nods and pulls me back into the shadows. "I won't put you between our dissatisfaction with one another."

"I'm already between it." I respond in a snapped whisper.

"Ratchet." Optimus leans down over the Chasm and then leaps down to the inner floor. "I know you are here."

I begin to step out and Megatron holds my arm. "His sensors are only reading me." I acknowledge. "Let me go to him send him away."

Megatron grasps my upper arms and leans down kissing me firmly, his hands release and he leans back darkening his own optics falling into the shadows. I gather myself and walk into the moonlight. "I am here."

"My friend I am concerned about you." He states and I nod. "You are not yourself as of late, not since your rescue and I must ask, what did he do to you?" Part of me wants to say _nothing I didn't want. _I can openly feel Megatron's satisfaction at the feeling.

"I am fine Optimus, I simply need time to gather myself." I state. "That is why I wanted to be alone." I respond.

As if to add insult to injury he speaks again, "But you are not alone are you?" He looks past me into the shadows. "Megatron." He addresses.

The purple optics appear in the shadows and the mass of a mech steps out. "You do not know anything Optimus." I sigh as Megatron begins to step forward. I am between the warlord and the Prime; it's not the safest place to be. "Your medic will return stay out of business that is no concern of yous."

Optimus eyes me, and under his scrutiny I turn my helm away. "It is my concern." He states. "When a member of my team is having secret rendezvous with the enemy leader." His optics pitch to Megatron as if waiting for answers.

"We are battle bonded." Megatron stated. "It is the best way to explain what has happened." Honesty; Megatron isn't afraid of it.

If I were human, I would be pale. I freeze as Optimus' optics look at me and he weighs a decision in his mind based on this new information.

Megatron comes to me and puts a hand on my shoulder as if to steady me. He can feel the fear and uncertainty. My Hud sees a ping and a removal of Optimus' personal frequency. I have been locked out. "Optimus." I plead.

"You have consorted with the enemy." He states, by the book; the betrayal in his voice is unmistakable. "You are discharged from the Autobot Ranks." The pain I feel now is unimaginable. I step forward out of Megatron's grasp.

"Optimus please….I…I …." There is no excuse. He has made his choice.

"If you have consummated a bond with him. You have given him any information that you held, willingly or no, and as such I cannot allow you to follow us to where ever I may take the Autobots from here."

"Optimus please." I walk another step forward and he shakes his helm and turns. "You have made your choices…. now you must live with them." He states and turns leaving me alone with Megatron in the Chasm. I cannot believe what I have witnessed and the shock still resides. I am frozen in place, placid, and in a state of shock.

* * *

Megatron

* * *

He stands rejected in the Chasm as the Prime leaves us. This has gone in my favor, and thus I will allow the Prime to leave.

Stepping forward I stand beside him and shake my helm. Holding up my hand to my comm I press into it. "Megatron to Soundwave ….lock into my coordinates and open a ground bridge." I order.

Near by a Green vortex appears and I pat Ratchet's shoulder and motion him toward the bridge. "Come." My voice is low and understanding.

His optics are downcast to the ground. I can feel how ashamed he feels; it's waking off him like ripples in a pond. I shake my helm and escort him through the green Vortext to a new future. One I must somehow explain to my generals and troops.

* * *

To be continued...


	4. Where we stand

Enemy Mine

Chapter 4: Where we stand.

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." - Leo Tolstoy

_-Optimus was way out of character last chapter.-_

_I think that's something we all deal with being out of character. We all have things that draw us out of our comfort zone, and what Ratchet did; that really effected Optimus and we'll see that from the point of view of Ultra Magnus. No, Prime and Magnus are not together, but you can see from the actions of Magnus where he'd like to see their relationship go. So just follow me here...I promise we'll get to it soon. Also we'll get some Starscream insight soon, I know we want to know what's going on in his helm too. _

* * *

Ultra Magnus

* * *

Looking at Smokescreen playing an online game I take them in sternly. "Where is Prime?" I ask coming toward the spacebridge operations console.

"He went after Ratchet." Smokescreen replies softly as he exits the game quickly and shrugs turning to face me. "Something's wrong with the Doc."

I nod and put a hand on his shoulder. "When he returns inform me." He doesn't have to acknowledge my order when the doors are wrenched open on the hanger's fore. Optimus strides in and doesn't even shut the hanger door behind him, the sheer look of him shocks me.

I look to smokescreen and point to the door. "Close it." I turn my attention to Optimus. "Sir?"

Optimus is fuming and his emotions are well on his armor for all to see. "Optimus." I try to break through to him.

He turns his dark azure optics on me and for a moment I cannot judge where we stand with one another. I shift again and come to his side. He's stopped in the middle of the room. I am uncertain wether I should be on the defensive or not.

The door slides shut and Optimus looks back at the sound. "Leave us." I order Smokescreen and after a quiet 'yes sir.' He logs out of the terminal and is gone.

"What has happened?" I ask. Best to get to the point.

"We need to prepare to move." He responds quickly as if a thousand things are at the fore of his mind. "Pack everything of consequence and ensure the ground bridge and any energon stores are priority." He insists to me hands gesturing oddly.

I blink my optics twice. He's ignoring my concern. "Optimus what has happened?" I repeat, he needs to talk to me. I won't let him hide in himself.

"Ratchet has defected." He responds and I clearly feel I have misheard him. "He's lost to us now, we need to get the base moved now before the Decepticons come for us." He says "They have far greater forces than we, I need to ensure- To ensure the safety of the Autobots." He is burdened by it.

"Optimus you cannot be serious." I state and walk forward. "It cannot be true. Ratchet is the most loyal..."

"He and Megatron Merged I doubt it had to do with loyalty." He states and that stops me. "They admitted as much well, megatron did, and Ratchet didn't deny it." He looked down and sighed as if his world was collapsing.

"That means…" I shake my helm and nod. "We'll get everything we can packed and ready to leave as soon as possible… you and I will pull trailers and I'm sure bulkhead can as well. I will also consult with agent-" His sob breaks my routine speech and I stop.

Optimus drops to his knees and he physically as well as mentally breaks down. "I left him there…" He states. "How could I just ...leave him there?"

I nod and kneel beside him. "He was a security risk, he gave intel to the decepticons." I frown.

"I don't think he meant to." Optimus admits softly. "I was so angry."

I nod and pat his arm. "You felt betrayed. What's done is done…we must get moving…we cannot try to fathom what the doctor was thinking." He looks up at me as if wanting an answer. "He's lost to us now as you said." I say softly. "You need to gather your composure." His arm reaches up and his hand locks into my shoulder armor. "I know." I say pulling him closer. "I know he was your friend."

"First we loose Jazz and Prowl…this is almost worse." He frowns at me.

"It's because he's alive. That wound won't heal." I acknowledge. "I am so sorry."

He nods and appears to have gathered himself a bit and I shift back helping him up. Suddenly behind us Arcee appears.

"What's going on?" She asks.

I turn to her and nod. "Our base location is compromised, please start the procedure for pack up and EVAC." I state. "We're leaving within the hour."

"And Ratchet?" Arcee asked. "He's not back yet."

Optimus tenses. "He's not coming back." I answer for him. "He's defected…you have your orders. Get everyone together and get started there isn't much time." I order and turn to look at Optimus. "We need to get information to Agent Fowler to arrange for the children to be moved."

Optimus sighs and nods. "I will handle it." He takes another deep vent. "Personally." Reaching up I touch his face and thumb quietly over his battle-mask. His hand reaches mine and they press together. "Thank you." He murmurs.

"You needn't thank me Prime." I smile at him and draw back to start getting us ready to move with one final glance back at him. I sigh and shake my helm. This was the last thing I ever expected.

* * *

Ratchet

* * *

I sit on the small seat and sigh. I don't need to know he's concerned to feel it. He doesn't need to speak; our emotions are so raw between us. He runs the gamut from pleased to empathetically upset. He's not upset with me; he's upset that I'm upset in the first place.

A cube is held before me. Looking up I nod and take it. "We have about thirty human minutes before we join the others in the conference room." He states.

"Others?" I question.

"Soundwave, Starscream, Knockout, and Breakdown." He says softly. "They will need to know you're onboard. I cannot in good conscience have them think you aren't suppose to be here and kill you." He smiles as if it's amusing to him. The thought of being killed isn't all that funny to me.

I have the wherewithal to not say that I shouldn't be here. I simply nod and take a drink and he frowns at me. "This is something we'll get through." He responds and sits beside me. "I wanted you here, and now you're here. Mine." His command office is lit with dark blues and purples, it's dark and might even be romantic if I wasn't so sick to my tanks.

I turn to him my face contorted in hurt. "At what cost Megatron? What price is the final straw?"

"No one lost their lives." He says as if this would bring me comfort, when it will not, and he knows that. "What's done is done." His deep voice resonates. "There is no need to look back on it and try to reason it out." He touches my neck and his clawed thumb crosses over my cheek. "We can only move on from what has transpired." He smiles at me and admires my frame, I feel his pride and shake my helm.

"I am not a prize to be won." I state.

"You aren't?" He chuckles. "I hadn't noticed." He murmurs. His voice's low tenor causes me to turn to him. Looking up into those dark optics I frown at him.

"I lost them." My voice trembles.

His face frowns and he nods. "I lost Optimus once too." He states. "Or do you forget he was my friend as well?" He shifts his head to the side taking a drink of his own cube. "I thought he and I would be together...truly." I blink and look up at him. "But that was gone the moment the council chose him."

I can't look at him anymore and I lean forward into his torso armor and can't hold in my anguish. He simply wraps an arm around me and I sob. He sits, stoic, and still and just lets me. We say nothing until it's time for the meeting. I need comfort and it's a horror and a balm that the only comfort left for me is Megatron.

* * *

Megatron

* * *

Walking into the conference room Soundwave awaits us. I motion Ratchet to a chair at the head of the table; my chair. He's gathered his composure rather well. I will be standing and speaking to all who will be present. Starscream enters hands folded behind his back wings tight and high. "This better be good Master I have very crutial-" He freezes. "A prisoner?" He almost smiles slurs out the statement.

"Sit down Starscream." I state as Knockout and Breakdown enter and take their seats at the table. Both are equally as confused. Soundwave sits and nods to Ratchet but says nothing. I am certain that his telepathy is telling him all he needs to know.

"As you know the good Doctor and I were trapped in an ice cavern for almost 40 hours." I state as I walk around the table eyeing everyone, especially Starscream. "In that time events happened which have brought the doctor to us."

"What could have happened to bring the Autobot to us?" Starscream sneered.

I rolled my optics. "Do you want the sordid details Starscream?" I gouge and he sits back silent. I look to Knockout now. "We have what I can only surmise is a battle bond." I state and pull the datapad from my subspace and pass it to my own CMO.

Knockout flits through it and shakes his head. "It's not something I've had experience with, but there are certain texts that state this sort of thing is possible. It's all theoretical really."

"First Aid's compendium of theoretical medicine…" Ratchet says from the head of the table almost quietly in a whisper.

"Ah we've both read it." Knockout nods happily. "Well we can run some scans and take some readings but if you are bonded." He shrugs. "There's nothing to do for it…you're stuck with it." He explains. "You either let it stay as it stands or you nurture it."

"Bonded?" Breakdown asks Knockout.

"I'll explain it to you later." Knockout says and sets the datapad before himself. "What is the plan now Master? I assume he'll remain here with us."

"Ratchet will have free reign of the ship." I state and hold up a hand to silence protests that Starscream is about to make. "He will not be harmed or harassed. If he is I will know and I will deal with anyone who does so personally." I turn to Soundwave. "See that the drones know."

"You cannot just make him a Decepticon." Starscream blurts out and I roll my optics. "Master you cannot be serious!" The seeker shrieks.

Frowning I shake my helm. "He will live amongst us neutrally. " I state and Ratchet's blue orbs pierce me and a wave of thanks hits me. "He needs time to adjust. Knockout we will see you in the morning to discuss this matter further. Soundwave see if you cannot find a drone to assign to Ratchet's needs. Starscream I want to double air patrols for the time being."

"I can arrange quarters for our guest." Breakdown offers but the word guest sounds oddly like prisoner in context.

"Breakdown they are bonded…they will be sharing a berth." Knockout's drawl insinuates so much. "guest quarters will be unnecessary."

I nod. "Dismissed." All the mechs rise and leave the table. Starscream last and he turns to me quietly.

"I hope you're happy with yourself." He sneers and turns away from me. That bridge forever burned. I find myself elated at that prospect. Ratchet looks at me as the doors seal and we're alone.

"Forgive him." I state.

"For what? He's done nothing to me." Ratchet responds and leans back in the chair quietly.

"His mouth runs away with him…" I state.

"And mine doesn't?" he mutters. I laugh at this. "Stop that." He chides. I move to his side and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come the hour is late." I motion him to stand. "I will escort you to our quarters." He looks up at me and I touch his face. There's a wake of affection. "I'm glad to see you as well." I tell him and move away allowing him to follow me.

He does and it's a few meters across the hallway into my quarters that are just off the bridge of the Nemesis. The doors open and we stride in and he stops looking around the living area. "This is difficult for me." He mutters.

"I am aware of the difficulties you are having." I assure him and reach down taking his hand in my own and lean down pressing my lips to his. "Forget for a while…" I offer some sort of escape as our lips are pressed together tightly. He draws back sadly and nods. "Come….you need recharge." I smile at him and motion my arm. "My berth is the best on board." I say.

"I bet you say that to all the pretty mechs." He sighs dejected.

I frown down at him and nod my helm and extend my hand. "Come…rest…gather your strength." I offer.

He looks back at me with question. "Yes I'm coming too." I smile at him.

* * *

Ratchet

* * *

When I awake I'm rolled to the right side of the berth and his bulk is behind me; his arm wrapped around my hip. I smile and just close my eyes taking in a breath before letting it out of my vents slowly.

I think it best to just lay here in the silence, nothing is wrong in the silence, even with him here around me.

He rumbles softly. "You're awake." He muses and I nod. "Was your recharge restful?"

I nod and reach back putting my hand over his that rests on my hip. "Yes." I respond softly. "Thank you." I murmur. He shifts against my back and his hand grasps tighter against me. "You're incorrigible." I state.

"That is not what you said whilst writhing beneath me." He murmurs drawing me back to the cave to those lost lonely hours where, damaged and in need of repair we interfaced for hours; until a spark merge put us offline.

If I were Optimus; I wouldn't want me either after that. I sigh and shift over to look in his optics. He leans back giving me room to roll. "Megatron." I mutter.

"Ratchet." My name is a quiet challenge as if he's waiting for me to say whatever is on my mind.

"I-" I don't have any idea what to say then a feeling hits me. A warm feeling hits me square in the spark and I know what it is. Looking up to him his clawed hands find my face and he tenderly touches me and we draw closer kissing passionately and he shifts rolling back on his back and drawing me down over him. The adoration, and affection are blossoming between us open and honest. His love is a wash over me and I freeze and look down at him. "You—"

"Don't ask me to say it aloud." He smiles at me his hands speaking for what his glossa will not. "Just accept it."

With a nod I stammer. "I-I do." I shift and press into him passionately and we don't come out of our quarters for hours, despite many pings from both Soundwave and Starscream none of which are priority, or at least that's what Megatron has said.

* * *

To be continued...


	5. Routines

Enemy Mine

Chapter Five: Routines

"_Routine is the one thing the can get you killed. It tells the enemy where you're going and when you're going to be there." – Andy Horowitz, Point Blank_

Five years later, the war is still ongoing. Both factions calculate their moves, and it's been over a year since a face to face incursion. Ratchet has not been seen since Optimus left him in the chasm all those years ago. Optimus and Ultra Magnus have a hatchling named Axel who is Approximately 3 earth years old, but acts more like a 7 year old human boy.

* * *

Ultra Magnus

* * *

"It's time." I murmur behind him and he nods looking out at the picturesque view. The prime rolls his shoulders back and stiffens his neck. "You'll do fine." I assure and cross the room wrapping an arm around one shoulder from the back. His hands draw up and he holds onto my forearm.

"I am starting to understand why Ratchet use to detest the humans." He mutters dryly and I laugh giving him a squeeze. "Diplomacy has never been my strong point."

"Don't be like that." I insist and shake my helm. "Everything will be-" I'm cut off.

"Sire!" The sound breaks us apart and I turn looking down. "Sire the humans are here!" The little one at our feet is Axel his helm resembles Optimus' but his chassis is all mine. I reach down lifting him up. "They have a huge van and it's got lights atop it."

"It's time for me to go." Optimus touched Axel's helm softly and then smiled down. "Behave yourself little one." He shook his head. "I know you have the capacity to."

"I will." Axel smiles as I hold him up.

"I'll be late." Optimus states with a sigh. "Hold down the fort."

"I always do." I nod at him and usher him off. "Go before Agent Fowler starts honking."

Axel giggles and I set him down to play in our room. "Stay in here for a moment I wish to walk your Creator out." I state.

Axel is pleased to just hop into his mass of human pillows on the floor to read his comic books, a gift from smokescreen on a digital pad. "Did you hear me?" I repeat.

He looks up into my optics and nods giving me a thumbs up, before rolling onto his belly to kick his feet and read. "Axel." I state sternly.

"Yes sir." He says looking at me. "Sorry."

"It's alright I just want you to address me when I address you, and do it appropriately." I smile at him. "I'll be right back." I turn into the hall to find Optimus shaking his helm. "What?"

"You're too hard on our offspring." He says and turns to walk.

I pull the door shut and fall into step beside him. "I am not, I am seeing that he is raised to know what he needs to know to carry on in this world." I defend. "I'm not sorry. I want him to answer respectfully to anyone, not just myself. "

Optimus smiles softly and lets out a thoughtful hum. He turns to me and stops. I stop beside him and turn to look at him, we're alone in the hallway. "Just don't be so hard on him." He asks. "For me."

"Of course." I nod, we share a chaste kiss before we exit out into the world of humans where we are not perceived as a cohesive family unit.

It takes ten minutes before the humans and Optimus are on their way. I turn back inside and check in at the command post before returning to my duties as a Sire.

* * *

Starscream

* * *

Moving onto the bridge I shake my helm and drop a datapad next to Soundwave. "The drones have completed the weapons refit on the starboard side." I state and fold my arms over my aching chassis.

He gives a slow single nod and takes the datapad from me. He skims it and looks back into my optics, and I nod at him. "If the all powerful Megatron asks where I am-" I turn and come face to face with Ratchet who looks none too pleased to see me, he never is. "I'll be in my lab." I utter quietly.

Soundwave's nod is there in my periphery and I turn away. Moving to the main hall I leave them together on the bridge. I no longer hate the former Autobot, I just cannot be in his presence; we always seem to argue. My master's distaste for me has filtered down to him as well I gather. I do my best to steer clear of him, Ratchet, but my consort does not.

Pushing the doors back to the main hall I walk on, and turn to the left through another set of double doors to my lab.

I look directly at a drone near my desk. "OUT!" I bark and the room clears. I drop down into the chair at my desk and lean backwards and just look at the ceiling. I'm so conflicted. It's not that I am not happy, it's that I just feel like we're running in circles, and we've all let our guard down. We aren't actively engaging the Autobots, and I have no clue as to why, I can only surmise it has to do with Ratchet's effect on my Master.

I raise my hand and clear my desk with a clattering swipe anger boils up from points unknown. I stand and upend the table, for Primus knows. I have this energy and I cannot expend it.

Then, they surround me. Those tendrils, they climb up my back and wrap around my torso and squeeze. "I'm fine." I insist though he squeezes again. "I am." They twist around my upper arms, torso and my legs.

There's no deterring my consort from his task as he pulls me toward him. I stiffen in a fury. "LET ME GO!" I bark.

He doesn't move. I hate him like this. I take a stiff vent and then let my wings lower and lower my arms slowly. His tendrils allow it. "I'm fine." I try to tenor my voice try to calm the rising fury.

"Starscream: Lies." Soundwave drawls and pulls me backward. I stagger on my capped heels as I am drawn against his torso. My back flush with his chest I calm myself. Laserbeak is missing; I'm able to be flush against him. "Calm."

"I am calm." I murmur and my head drops into a shake. "I'm having …" I don't know what it is about Sounwave but I can talk to him. Not just at him; like it was with Megatron so long ago. "I cannot hide it anymore, my emotional fluxes are becoming too hard to hide." I admit and my voice cracks weakly.

His helm rests on my shoulder and he doesn't speak but his tendrils retract and his hands find my arms and he turns me to face him. Those long snake like tendrils reseat into his body and he looks down at me, he's only a micron taller at the helm.

"I should see Knockout." I murmur.

He nods. "Soundwave will escort."

"You will do no such thing…go back to the bridge I will, keep you posted." I insist but he says nothing. He tips his helm at me. "You're welcome to walk me there, but you are needed on the bridge. Do I need to make it an order?" I shake for a moment, involuntarily. "I feel like there are scraplets crawling all over me." I utter.

His hands run up and down on my arms and he gently turns me to the doorway. He apparently has agreed to walk me. "Told anyone?"

"No….not about you….us…anything." I state and press a hand to my chassis and frown. "Aren't you supposed to be the carrier?" I ask dryly and move to the door.

His hand finds my chassis and we freeze for a moment and look at one another. I reach up and touch the glass of his mask that pops and pulls back revealing his stern face. "This will most likely be a non-symbiotic offspring." He responds softly his fingers tracing the seam along my torso. The vocoder in his mask is difficult to use, but with the mask retracted it's just his true voice.

"I'm sorry I get…" I motion my hand in a non-committal way.

"You needn't be sorry." He says lifting my face to meet his dark optics. His optics are so blue they are almost black.

He sighs as if he doesn't know what to do with me. "Come." I state. "Put your mask on, let us away." I insist.

He nods and the mask falls and seals. "Sounwave: Understands trepidation."

I turn to him again. "I hope so." I state. "I may need someone to talk to."

"Suggestion: Knockout." He states through the vocoder in the mask..

I scoff and shake my helm. "Not him."

"Megatron." The suggestion makes me turn on him and I hit him upside the head before I can register I have. He makes a recovery and his tendrils snake around me holding me. "Statement: Made in jest."

I am furious now pulling at the tendrils that hold me. "Don't you EVER stay that again! He knows NOTHING! He is a FOOL!" He holds up his hands, defensive and even through my fury I can feel he's sorry. My helm shakes and his hands touch my torso as his tendrils back away. "I'm calm." I insist and nod. "I'm …I'm-" I vent again. "Let us go to Knockout before someone misses you on the bridge." I state.

He nods and releases me taking my wrist, turning me to face him. In silence his mask pops and slides up to rest on his helm. He leans down and presses his lips to mine. Suddenly, everything that ever went wrong; Megatron, Cybertron, Earth, and many others; melt away into nothingness. I wrap myself around him and we clatter backwards onto my main worktable. Knockout will wait until I've gotten what I want out of my consort.

* * *

Ratchet

* * *

Starscream and Soundwave are like younglings when they are unsupervised. I look at Megatron. "You're going to allow this to continue?" I blink at him as I supervise Soundwave's post. "I can't believe Starscream does not suspect we know..."

"Don't be jealous." He says casually from his throne behind me.

"I'm not jealous." I say in a huff. "I just cannot fathom… them." I shake my helm and continue to scan the computer shunting data away. "I mean …really? I thought Sounwave had more sense." I mutter and reach up to pet Laserbeak's helm as she sits on her perch beside the station. She leans down into my hand for a moment, and I go back to work. She shifts and hops from her perch to my shoulder, and I continue.

"She's fond of you." Megatron muses.

"Well it's a new development. It's only been the last six months she's wanted anything to do with me." I check drone data rosters and start sorting the data.

"She's merely protective I'm sure. I understand her point of view." He murmurs and I hear him stand. I hear his foot falls on the metal behind me as he draws closer. "Starscream is unwell."

"I've noted." I say. "He's unstable." I blink and turn my helm. "Well more unstable…Sounwave insists he's alright but I am not so sure."

"How would you proceed?" Megatron asks me coming to stand just in front of my console.

I stop. "Medical opinions? I thought we agreed I didn't have any." I blink taking him in pressing feelings to him.

"Simply a curiosity I assure you." He nods.

I said I would do no medical work on the nemesis unless it was something that Knockout had no direct experience in and a life was in danger. I think for a few moments. "I would start with a full body scan, and make sure to check to see if he's …in manufacture." I state.

"Manufacture?" Megatron blinks.

"Yes." I nod this way and that. "If he and Soundwave are as active as we are." This makes Megatron smirk. "Keep your helm outta the ditch." I shake my helm. "He's erratic, more so than normal, these are symptoms of Manufacture. Probably first or second term construction…" I shake my helm. "That's not true… that wouldn't cause the erratic mood swings we've seen." I hum thoughtfully arms crossing over my chest my finger tapping on my own armor.

Megatron looks concerned now. "What is it?"

"His mood swings are so much more than erratic…" I turn to Megatron. "He may very well be in manufacture, and if the pod is too big or is nesting against his spark chamber or vital organs, he may be experiencing an energon deficiency to his processor." I fold my arms over my chest and shake my helm. "But Knockout will need to put him through a barrage of scans to make sure. If the hatchling is indeed cutting off energon delivery to his subsystems we will need to extract it and put it in an incubation manufacture chamber."

"Would you be willing to give opinions on the scans if Knockout performs them?" Megatron asks. "You do not have to per our agreement. I won't force you." He adds.

"No-no, this has nothing to do with the war." I sigh. "I will look over the scans." I blink. "A hatchling aboard." I nod. "never thought I'd see one again."

"We already have Soundwave's charges." Megatron says motioning at Laserbeak.

"They are symbiotes, not full fledged mechs." I say and pet Laserbeak as I say it. "They are extensions of Soundwave. If Starscream is carrying Sounwave's offspring in Manufacture it could be a full fledged mech. Starscream is a very lithe mech. All his systems are most likely being choked off by the nest inside his body that the hatchling is being manufactured in."

"Nest?" Megatron asks.

"Yes it's a ball of cabling that develops around the body as it's developed. Like a sack, or pouch." I state. "It just depends on how bit it is. We need to see scans. It could also be something else, we don't know if he's even in manufacture. He could have Rust Rot for all we know."

Megatron nods. "I'll speak with Knockout about the scans." He puts an understanding hand on my arm. "Are you still mad at me about the other night?" He smoothly slips into another subject.

"You tricked me." I state and put my hands back on the console to work. "You took me for granted at the table. In front of everyone." We'd been gambling with Soundwave, and Breakdown. A cybertronian form of poker.

"I could have taken you for granted on that very table." He smirks.

"I won't gamble with you anymore." I shake my head ignoring his innuendo and his snark.

He starts to move past me and I reach out grabbing his arm. He pauses and looks at me. "Make sure Knockout knows it's imperative; that if the hatchling is in jeopardy he call me."

The warlord leans down pressing a kiss to me and nods. "Keep an eye on things here…I'll send your drone to you."

"He has a name." I insist. "I gave him a designation five years ago. When you brought him to me. They are people Megatron, they have feelings, wants desires."

"Fine." Megatron nods though he's not pleased of my opinion. "I'll send for Tread to be with you on the bridge. I am still not happy with you empowering them."

"You've yet to stop me." I counter. "They already work harder now that someone onboard treats them as equals."

"I'll have him sent to you as soon as possible." Megatron shakes his head, not wanting to get into that long-winded discussion with me again.

Thank you." I state proudly having won, and turn back to my work. "Keep me updated."

"Always." He says and strides out of the room.

* * *

To be continued...


End file.
